1. Technical Field. This invention generally relates to the construction of stringed musical instruments. In particular this invention relates to a new blocking system for a stringed instrument such as an acoustical guitar.
2. Background Art. The art of guitar making, specifically acoustical guitars, has remained relatively unchanged for the past 250 years. Small improvements have been made in the bracing and neck block structure to help prevent flexing at the sound box and neck joint. Exemplary of these improvements are KAMAN, II., U.S. Pat. No. 4,172,405 and KAMAN, U.S. Pat. No. 4,200,023. Both disclose similar apparatus for providing a flex adjustable neck.
A notable exception to the relatively stagnant state of the acoustical guitar art is MARTIN, U.S. Pat. No. 3,911,778, which teaches a guitar molded from aluminum and synthetic materials. MARTIN teaches an aluminum die cast neck connected to a one-piece molded body having a bowl shape and flat top.
A particularly interesting development specifically relating to violins, is that of BERRY, ET AL., U.S. Pat. No. 1,800,980, which teaches a pair of hyperbolic shaped channels, one at each end, which divides the sound box of the violin into two separate resonant cavities.
A typical acoustical guitar is constructed from wood and has neck and tail blocks which are generally square in shape. The square shapes of the neck and tail blocks provide a discontinuous peripheral wall for the sound box of the guitar. It has been found, through practice, that a continuous wall produces a superior tone quality and resonant cavity. The typical construction necessarily requires the top of the guitar to be fitted with additional bracing to counteract the force moment enacted by the guitar strings and this substantially dampens the vibrations of the guitar top and therefore limits the dynamics of the overall guitar.
What is needed is a blocking system which provides a smooth peripheral wall surface and further provides a neck block which facilitates in the reduction of the necesary top braces.
It is therefore an object of this invention to enhance the tonal quality of stringed instruments by providing an optimum resonant cavity, and further a neck block which reduces the number of top braces thereby optimizing the dynamics of the overall instrument.